A Kiss to Remember
by SarahJaneDoctor
Summary: Short little stories about the leverage team and well...kissing. Each of them remembering important kisses in their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Although I have been writing for a while, this is the first fan-fiction type story I've ever done and the first time I've ever published anything anywhere that someone other than my family/friends could read it. Normally I write stories for my kids, so I'm not real good at the kissy/kissy thing, but hopefully it will do.**

 **I have ideas for each of the team's most memorable kisses, and will hopefully get them uploaded eventually. I also have a whole story idea to continue Eliot's specifically. If I can figure out how to get it on paper, I might share it as well sometime.**

 **Not sure if anyone is actually paying attention to Leverage stuff, since the show has been off for a while, but I still love it.**

"Really Parker?" Sophie stared at her in disbelief. "You know. A kiss. A kiss that knocks you off your feet and turns your world around. Maybe it only happens once, but the kind of kiss that lasts a lifetime." She looked at the others for back up. "The one you always remember?

They were sitting at the office sharing dinner. White Chinese take-out containers littered the table all around them.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Parker shrugged. "A kiss is a kiss."

Nate spoke up. "Oh yes. Mary Lou Jenkins. We were in the first grade and had sneaked out behind her Father's tool shed."

"No Nate, not your first kiss! Well, not necessarily. "

"Who said that was my first kiss?" He smiled widely at her, then ducked as she tossed a chop stick in his direction. "Hey! You asked!"

Sophie turned to Eliot. "We know that you've been with a lot of errr…ladies, Eliot, but surely you understand what I'm talking about?"

Eliot took a bite of his food and sat there looking around the table. He nodded to her. "Yes I do."

"Well why don't you share with the group, Eliot?" Hardison gave him a friendly nudge.

"Yeah, that is never gonna happen," he replied. He wasn't about to share the story of THAT kiss with these guys, no matter how much he was starting to like them.


	2. Eliot - A Christmas Kiss

He was barely 21 years old, and has just finished the first part of the Army's Special Forces Training Program in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. It was December, and they were about to be given a few days leave for the holidays. A Christmas dance had been organized on base for them to celebrate before they left. Eliot had no real intention of going, but a couple of his buddies talked him in to coming with them, even if just for a little while. It was mostly a pain to him. Having to get all decked out to spend the evening uncomfortable with bad music and even worse, most of the girls were already taken, or too impressed with themselves to pay attention to someone of his rank. He'd rather kick back at a local bar and relax.

He set out his dress uniform, showered, shaved and got dressed. He and his roommate, Michael, checked each other out to make sure that their uniforms were exactly as they should be, and they walked out to meet their friend, Sam.

Arriving at the hall, they could hear the music from outside. Twinkling white lights wrapped in garland decorated the stairs leading to the door, and as they walked in, there was a giant Christmas tree in the middle of the room. By the time they arrived, the party was in full swing. They made their way over to the bar and ordered a round of drinks before taking a seat at the nearest empty table. They fell into various conversations about the training they just finished, their vacation plans, and most importantly, which girls in the room looked available for dancing.

As he looked around the room, Eliot spotted a girl sitting with two friends not too far away from them. She had bright red hair that was pinned back with a small gold clip, and a green silk dress. Seeing her, he thought to himself that she was easily the most beautiful girl in the room. She giggled and laughed with her friends, and he guessed by the various soft drinks in their cups that none of them were not quite 21 yet.

"Boys, check out the table of girls to the left of us," Michael said as Sam turned to look in the direction of the girls. "I think I've just found the future Mrs. Vance. If you will excuse me, I am going to go find a dancing partner." He got up and walked over to the table.

Michael was always the first one up to meet people at things like this. It wasn't that Eliot was shy, not at all, he just felt more at home in a much more casual environment. He also usually found the girls here to be a waste of time. He had to admit that he was a bit jealous that Michael was going to get to talk to the pretty little red head in the green dress, though.

Sam and Eliot watched amused as Michael approached the table and introduced himself to the girls. All three girls looked up and smiled at him. Eliot noticed that she was even more beautiful when she smiled. He chatted with them for a few minutes before, to Eliot's surprise, he turned to the dark haired girl on his left and said something. Her friends looked at her encouragingly, and she stood up. Michael took her hand, and led her to the dance floor. Something like relief washed over him as he looked from the new couple on the dance floor, back to the table with the pretty little red head and her remaining friend. They resumed their chatting, but he noticed that she kept glancing in Eliot and Sam's direction, then back out at the people dancing, with a look of disappointment.

As the song finished, Michael delivered the dark haired girl back to her table, and pulled her chair out for her. He motioned to them that he'd be back, and made his way back to their table. "Jenna. Her name is Jenna. I think I'm in love…..At least for tonight." He grinned as he grasped at his chest playfully. "I am going to invite them over to sit with us. You boys don't mind?"

Sam looked over at the girls again. "What are they like?"

"They are sorority sisters from the University of Texas. The two brunettes, Jenna and Amanda, are locals, on base visiting Abigail, the girl with the red hair. She asked them to come with her to the party. By the way, that is Abigail Johnston. Johnston, as in Colonel Johnston's daughter. Honestly, I went over there to ask her to dance, but I just don't need that kind of trouble. You know he'll be around here eventually."

Eliot glanced at her again. Col. Johnston was the officer in charge of their training program. He was easily one of the toughest, but fair, men that Eliot had met since joining up, and probably in his entire life. He believed completely in the mantra of honor and tradition, and Eliot respected him for it. Col. Johnston's opinion of you could make or break your career, and he imagined that most soldiers steered clear of his daughter for that reason.

Eliot, never really being interested in avoiding trouble, stood up and volunteered to go back to fetch the girls with Michael. When they arrived at the table, Michael introduced them to Eliot, who looked directly at Abigail, but said to them all, "Ladies. It is a pleasure to meet you." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jenna giggle and Abigail kick her under the table. He couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Hey there," she responded, blushing slightly. The other girls said hello as well, but Eliot was so taken by Abigail's soft Texas drawl that he barely noticed them.

The girls agreed to join them, and they walked back to the table, where Sam had produced three chairs for the girls to sit on. Before they could take those seats though, the music once again turned slow and Michael swept Jenna back out on the dance floor. Sam stood up quickly and held an arm out to Amanda. Abigail sighed and prepared to take her seat, when Eliot spoke up. "Miss? Would you like to dance?"

She looked surprised, but pleased. He held out his arm, and she took it gratefully as he led her out to the dance floor. He caught Michael's eye, and saw a look that clearly asked him if he had a death wish. He just grinned at his friend in response.

They found a spot on the floor and he placed his hands on her hips. Pulling her to him, but leaving a respectful distance. The faint smell of cinnamon surrounded her. He sighed to himself. He loved the smell of cinnamon. As they danced, she leaned closer to speak. "You know, you are the first person to actually ask me to dance. When I went to the Officers party, a few guys there asked my dad if they could dance with me, and he turned every single one of them down. Doesn't that worry you?"

"Well, not really. I don't see your Daddy around here tonight, and you said yes." They both laughed at that, and he continued. "So you are a college girl? Texas? What do you do there?"

"I'm a Junior, majoring in Middle Eastern Studies."

"Well, that is interesting. Kind of an odd thing to study. What are you planning to be when you grow up?"

She raised an eyebrow at his question. "We were stationed in the Middle East for a while, and I guess the people and culture have stuck with me. I speak fluent Arabic and am getting pretty good with Persian. As to what I'll do, I'm not sure yet. Teach maybe? Work for some three letter Government Agency? I haven't quite decided." She stopped for a moment, before adding, "I'll be 21 in June, and I think I've grown up quite well, thank you very much."

Eliot eyed her appreciatively, making her roll her eyes at him. "I agree, darlin, very well."

The song ended, and he escorted her back to the table. They all sat and chatted with each other, pausing only to dance when the music got slow. Eliot sat close to Abigail and rested his hand on the back of her chair. As they talked, he couldn't help but think about how sweet she was. She seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, but she would roll her eyes or respond with a smart mouthed comment if he tried to show off. He recognized that side of her personality from her father, and he liked it in her much better.

When the guys went to get another round of drinks for the table, Michael looked at Eliot with disbelief. "I have never in my life known someone who was so gung-ho to destroy his career before it even got started. I bet Col. Johnston could kill you ten different ways without even laying a hand on you."

"Well, I've never been smart enough to steer clear of trouble, especially when that trouble takes the form of a beautiful girl." He winked and Michael and Sam, as they grabbed their drinks and headed back to the table.

Soon the music turned slow once again, and once again they headed out to dance. They began to walk out to the floor, when Abigail suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, dropped his arm and said, "Daddy!"

Standing before them was Col. Johnston. He was a tall man, and he was likely a very intimidating man, if Eliot had the sense to be intimidated. He gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead before turning to Eliot and sizing him up. "Spencer, right? You just completed my SFAS course?"

"Yes Sir." He replied.

"I've been here for a little while watching you with my daughter. Did you know that I've never given a single soldier permission to dance with her, and I've been asked by quite a few."

"Daddy! Why in the world were you spying on us? You should have at least come by and said hello!" Abigail frowned at her father.

Unable to think of an appropriate response, Eliot blurted out, "well Sir, then I guess it's a good thing that I asked her, and not you, isn't it?" Abigail looked at him in shock. Col. Johnston also looked at him like he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Uh oh…" Eliot thought to himself. "I've stepped in it this time."

Col. Johnston just started to laugh. Eliot couldn't tell if it was a friendly laugh or the kind of laugh you heard before there was a lot of pain. "I guess so, son. I guess so," he said between laughs. "I've never figured out why these boys ask ME, when she's the one that has to agree to dance with them." He looked kindly at his daughter. "Carry on, then." He walked away from them, still chuckling to himself and shaking his head.

Abigail let out a huge sigh of relief as Eliot took her hand again and they walked out to the dance floor. There wasn't much time left in the song, but they spent it with their heads together, talking about what just happened.

When the song ended, Col. Johnston stopped them on the way back to their table. "Sweetheart, I just stopped by to see if things were going well and if you needed a ride home?"

She looked from Eliot to her Father and answered, "Oh I don't want to go home yet. I'll get Jenna to drop me off on her way home, or something."

Eliot and her father both looked doubtfully at Jenna, who was still slow dancing with Michael on the dance floor, even though the music was no longer slow.

"I will see that she gets home, Sir." Eliot volunteered, smiling at Abigail.

"You do that. She will be home before 2400 hours." He said this as an order more than a question. He looked at Eliot seriously. "Dancing is one thing, but you will treat my Abby with the respect that she deserves, understand, Spencer? Anything happens to her, and you will be held responsible. "

"Yes Sir!" he responded.

Abby gave her father a hug and he nodded to them both and left. They all slowly returned to the table, where Michael and Sam looked impressed that Eliot was still alive.

An hour later, the party was winding down. Amanda was ready to go home, and Sam volunteered to walk her to her car. Michael and Jenna were more than ready to go elsewhere and planned to leave together. Eliot and Abigail decided to leave as well, so they all walked out together, before going their separate ways. "You don't mind walking, do you?" he asked her, realizing that since he didn't have a car, a shuttle full of people would be their only way home otherwise.

"Not at all. I don't have to be home for another hour anyway." She smiled and took his arm.

As they walked and talked, he noticed that she was shivering a bit. The night was cool, and there was a light breeze blowing. He took off his jacket and offered it to her, then helped her put it on when she agreed. He took her hand, and they continued their slow walk to her house.

"So your boyfriend doesn't mind you hanging around at parties full of soldiers?" he said, as they walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand.

"No boyfriend to care. I was seeing this guy back at school, but there is only so much of the frat bro thing that I can handle. I broke it off last month."

Eliot smiled. "I bet he was devastated."

"Oh yeah. He was totally heartbroken…..right up until the next weekend when he started hooking up with one of my sorority sisters." She laughed.

"Isn't there some girl code to cover situations like that?"

"Yeah, but it only applies if you actually CARE what the guy does, which I don't. What about you? You have a girl waiting for you back home?"

"Naaw. There was a girl in high school, but she wasn't really interested in waiting around for me when I decided to join the service." He was pleased to see that Abigail smiled at this.

"So why did you decide to join the Army?" she asked.

"Let's just say that I had a pretty colorful childhood, and the Army seemed like a good way to keep myself out of jail and focused on something other than having a good time. What about you? Why go all the way to Texas?" He grinned at her.

She raised one eyebrow at him and looked like she really wanted to question him about his 'colorful childhood,' but decided against it and answered. "I'm from Texas. Dallas. UT is kind of a family tradition. Both of my grandfather's graduated from there, and my mom and dad met there. My big brother would have gone there too, if he hadn't gone to West Point. I was on the younger side when I started college, having just turned 17, so having family close by was nice. I'm considering schools in New England for grad school, but first, as you would say, I have to decide what I want to be when I grow up." She smirked at him and shook her head.

"Awww. Don't throw that back in my face, Abigail. You know that I was just teasing you."

She giggled at him and he noticed a slight blush creep across her face. "Uh huh. Sure." She stopped in front of a driveway. "This is me."

Eliot was disappointed to see that they had reached her house. The house was all decked out for Christmas, with lights and garland everywhere. He could see that the front hall lights were on, but the rest of the house was dark and quiet. He followed her when she stepped up onto the covered porch, and turned to him.

"Do you think you'll make a career out of the Army?"

"Well, I don't know right now. Too early to tell, I guess. I guess it depends on what I decide I want to be when I grow up." He laughed as he winked at her. "Right now, I just like the idea of people who believe in honor and tradition. I didn't know it at the time, but I guess I needed a little of both in my life. I respect people like your dad, who know how to be strong but kind, and I figure that for now, I can honor them, my family and myself by being the best that I can be."

"What if you had to choose? You know, between honor and tradition?"

He looked at her quizzically. "Now why would I ever have to do that?"

Abigail pointed up to the ceiling. He looked and saw a large sprig of mistletoe hanging right above them. She looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "What's it going be, soldier? Honor or tradition?"

He considered a moment before wrapping his arm around her pulling her close to him. He sighed to himself. He had intended to do as he was told and just deliver her safely home, but he couldn't deny how beautiful she was, and standing here on the porch with his big jacket wrapped around her, she was downright irresistible.

He placed his hand under her chin and gently lifted her face to his. "Well, darlin," he whispered as he bent down to meet her, "I think I'll choose to honor tradition."

He half smiled as their lips met. He breathed in deeply the smell of cinnamon that seemed to surround her as they pecked at each other briefly before she parted her lips, inviting him in. A soft moan escaped from her throat as their tongues collided, and he felt her arms slide behind his head as she rose up on the balls of her feet to bring her face even closer to him. He pulled her tightly against him, helping to balance her. He slowly ran one hand up her spine, and entwined it gently in her long red hair, causing her to shutter slightly. An involuntarily groan escaped from him as she placed a hand on his neck and traced along his jawline with her thumb. "Damn it," he thought to himself as their tongues swirled around each other more urgently. "She even tastes like cinnamon."

They stood there pressed together for what seemed like an eternity, but all too soon she pulled away from him, stopping briefly to rub her nose against his. He released his grip on her and untangled his hand from her hair. She was blushing as she looked into his eyes and sighed. "I really should be going in," she said, almost shyly. "If my daddy caught us out here, I can't even imagine what he'd do." She removed his jacket and handed it to him, looking up at him with that sweet smile that made him desperate to kiss her again. "Thank you for a wonderful night, Eliot, I'm glad it was you who was brave enough to ask me to dance."

He took her hand and kissing it gently he sighed, "It was my pleasure, Abigail." He reached over and opened the front door for her, watching as she walked through. She stopped briefly to turn back and smile at him one more time before disappearing behind the big wooden door.

He waited until he heard the locks click to turn and leave. He slid his coat on and walked back down the driveway. He could still feel the pressure of her lips on his, and the taste of her mouth. "She is something special. Smart, beautiful and way too damn good for me," he thought, as he walked along the sidewalk. He sighed as he realized that he would never see her again.


	3. Hardison - The First Kiss Job

Hardison and Parker were sitting in the black van monitoring the rest of the team as they infiltrated a party that Ian Blackpool was hosting that night. They'd been working on this con for a few weeks, and finally tonight it was going down. Blackpool was Nate's old boss at I.Y.S., and they were helping Nate take revenge on him, for causing the death of his son.

So far, things seemed to be going smoothly. It was a pretty straight forward job. Blackpool had the First David, a statue that Michelangelo created as a practice for his masterpiece, and they were going to attempt to sell him the fake Second David, to expose him as a fraud. Sophie and Eliot were already in with Blackpool. Sophie was negotiating art from the Vatican for the collection, and Eliot was an art appraiser. He would certify the statue and the deal would be done.

Hardison had spent days lovingly creating the fake Second David, and he'd done a fine job if he did say so himself. The rest of the team didn't quite appreciate the craftsmanship that he put into it, but he liked to consider himself an artist just as much as he was a hacker. It wasn't perfect, but good enough to fool Blackpool.

Parker was playing with the 'Little Naked Man' as he liked to call the statue. "Hello little naked man!" she said, as she made him say hello back.

"Parker, please be careful with that. It took me a long time to make it, and I'm not real excited about having to do it again.

She held the statue up to him like it was talking to him and said in a low voice, "Don't worry! I won't get hurt! Parker will take good care of me."

Sometimes Hardison marveled at how childlike Parker could be. From the moment he met her on a rooftop in Boston, he liked her. She was crazy, for sure, but she seemed to see the world in a way that no one else did or probably even could, and he thought that was nice. The fact that he found her to be cute didn't hurt either, but he was sure that she didn't see him as anything more than one of her teammates.

Their well thought out plan began to unravel pretty quickly. Eliot had been flirting with a woman all night, and she turned out to be Nate's ex-wife, Maggie. Blackpool agreed to the sale under the condition that Maggie certified that the statue was authentic.

 **"** Now, Nate, is Maggie a very good Art Inspector? **"** Hardison asked, already expecting the answer.

"Yeah, she's the best."

Parker grabbed the statue. "No, no, no, we can't let your ex-wife anywhere near our little naked man."

Sophie sighed. "We have to show her the real thing. We have to steal the first David right now so we can show it to Maggie tomorrow as the second David."

"That's too risky." Nate replied.

"Blackpool knows our faces. We're never gonna get him on the hook like this again. You honestly think that we can fool Maggie with a fake?" Sophie asked.

Nate thought for a moment. "No. She's too smart and too experienced. When we worked together, there was nobody better. All right. Well, one crisis at a time. Parker, get in here."

"Oh hell." Hardison sighed. "Why does everything have to be this hard?"

"How much trouble is Eliot going to be in, when Nate gets ahold of him?" Parker made the statue say in that silly low voice.

"Well, that is at least something to look forward to." He reached over and took the statue from her. "You need to put that statue down before something happens to it! We might still need it." Parker pouted.

They came up with a plan B. Hardison thought that Parker was way too excited about breaking into the vault with no plan, but her ability to break into anywhere was pretty amazing. She was going to put on a dress and join the party. His job was to go in as wait staff to help.

Parker went to a bag and grabbed one of Sophie's stashed dresses. Before he had time to react, she was changing right there in the middle of the van. He really didn't object to it, but his Nana had taught him enough manners that he turned around to give her privacy, also turning the statue around with him. When she asked him to help her zip the dress up, he did it while trying very hard to keep his eyes anywhere but on her bare skin. She re-did her hair as he got into his white shirt and tie, and after a few minutes, they were both ready to join the party. He took a long look at her and said "Damn girl. I thought you needed to blend in at this party. Looking like that, everyone is going to notice you."

She snorted at him. "Uh huh. People don't notice me. That is part of my whole thing." She reached over and adjusted his crooked tie.

"Oh trust me," he replied with a smile. "Some people notice." He knew he was flirting with her, and he knew that the flirting was completely going over her head, but he did it anyway. He couldn't really help himself.

He walked into the party from the back entrance, and blended in with the other waiters. He tried to look like he belonged there, while listening to the various conversations going on in his earbud. With all of them in play, there was no one to keep an eye on everyone, so they were all a little tense. He laughed to himself when he thought of Eliot and Nate, and how that tension had taken on a whole different level. He heard Parker ask for aluminum foil, and he found a guy carrying some near the buffet. Cracking a joke about taking some shrimp for breakfast jambalaya the next day, he took it from him, and hurried down to meet Parker.

He and Sophie reached Parker at the same time. Before either of them could say anything, Parker began barking orders. "The door's got a silent alarm. You should hide," she said to Sophie, who immediately walked away from them. She turned to Hardison. "You and I should pretend to make out!"

"Say what?" was all he could manage to say before she put her arm around his neck and pulled him closer, planting her lips on his.

He was a little bit too shocked to respond to her at first, but after a few seconds, he remembered how his lips worked and he returned her awkwardly frantic kisses, putting both of his hands around her back. He pushed one hand against the door, and heard a click that let him know that the door had opened. He knew the guards would be on their way. She kept groping at him and kissing him, making the cutest little moaning noises, and it was all he could do to keep from laughing. "Hey can we talk about this?" he said through the kisses. She didn't answer and just kept kissing him. For a brief moment, he forgot where they were or what they were doing. It was just them in the hallway, and he was enjoying the moment. It was broken up though, by the arrival of the guards.

One of them cleared his throat. "You, uh, bumped the door there. Sets the alarm off."

Hardison looked around awkwardly. "You know what? We, you know how it is.""

"Oh. Sorry" Parker added.

The guards just looked at them, and walked away. Hardison followed Parker through the door. He was glad to be standing behind her, so she couldn't see the big grin on his face. "Can we talk about the pretending? That was nice." She wasn't interested in talking though. She was completely focused on the work. "Later," he thought to himself. "Maybe we can talk about it later."


	4. Sophie - A Life Changing Kiss

The sun was already shining as Sophie awoke. She squinted in the brightness of it, and cursed herself for not having closed the curtains before she went to bed last night. She stood up and stretched before walking over to the window to close them, but found herself staring out of the window instead. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. She could see that the water in the harbor was smooth as glass and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Birds flew above her, people walked below her, probably enjoying the brisk fall weather. For Sophie, however, there was nothing enjoyable about this day. She yanked the curtains shut, and crawled back into the bed, pulling the covers up over her head. She felt one tear slide down her cheek, followed by another. She tried to hold them back. But there was nothing she could do to stop it. She began to sob, almost uncontrollably. This happened every year on the anniversary of his death. He had been gone for four years now, and she missed him quite often. This year was different though, as she wasn't even in London to visit his grave. She'd decided finally that she had enough and was making a change. "A change," she couldn't help thinking to herself, "that if I had just made six years ago, might have kept him alive."

 **Six Years Earlier**

"Her Grace, Duchess Charlotte of Hanover" the man announced in a deep and booming voice.

Sophie took a moment to stand at the top of the stairs and survey the scene before her. "Breathe," she told herself as she grasped the railing to the long staircase and slowly began her descent. She made sure that her back was straight, her head was up, and she was as graceful as she could possibly be. This was her moment, and although she was sure that all eyes were on her, there was only one set of eyes that she really cared about. She glanced down to the bottom of the stairs and saw him there, waiting for her. She held his gaze as she completed her walk down the stairs and gracefully took the arm that was offered. She smiled at him, as she allowed him to lead her away from the stairs. "So lovely to see you again, Lord Raben," she said to the man, as he stopped finally.

"I am pleased that you were able to make it. I've been very excited to show you a few new pieces that we've just recently purchased."

"Oh that sounds wonderful! I would very much love to see them. Perhaps a few would be good for our collection." Sophie smiled sweetly at him. This was the perfect opportunity to check out the security system, should it come to that. She knew that if she played her role correctly, it never would.

Sophie had been working this particular con for a few weeks now. Baron Frederik Raben of Denmark had one of the foremost collections of Danish art work, and Sophie was here for one piece in particular, _Ganymede Waters Zeus as an Eagle_ ,by Bertel Thorvaldsen. She had a buyer willing to pay very handsomely for it, and her so called 'Auntie' the Countess of Kensington, had set the meeting up for her.

She followed him down a long ornate hallway, and stopped in front of a large wooden door. He held his thumb up to the scanner and she heard the door click. He opened it and held it open for her to walk through. Sophie gasped as she entered the room and the lights flashed on. It was a large room with paintings covering every inch of the walls. There were sculptures set on pedestals all around the room. To a grifter like Sophie, it was like a child walking into a sweets shop. She didn't know where to look first, and had to force herself to keep her composure.

"Oh so many beautiful pieces," she said to him, as her eyes wandered around the walls of the room. She had spotted the sculpture she was after soon after walking into the room, but didn't want to seem too eager. "You have quite a collection here, Lord Raben. It is so kind of you to consider loaning a piece to our little museum. Our Northern European Exhibition will be so much more complete with representation of Danish artistry."

"Your words are kind, but unnecessary. Danish artists are always overlooked, and I am happy to share their talent with the world. Besides, how can I deny the request of such a beautiful woman?" He moved closer to her.

Sophie took a step toward the sculpture beside her, and spoke to change the subject. "Oh, this is breathtaking. What is this called?"

" _Ganymede Waters Zeus as an Eagle_. It was created by Bertel Thorvaldsen. An eighteenth century artist."

"Such an excellent example of neoclassical sculpting. It is breathtaking."

"If you would like this one, it is yours. You couldn't make a better choice. Thorvaldsen was one of Denmark's greats. I can have the papers signed and the piece ready to ship before the end of the week."

Sophie smiled at him, not trying to seem too eager. "I think it would fit perfectly into our collection, that is, if you can part with it for a little while."

"For you, my dear, I would do so much more."

The Baron was certainly persistent, and Sophie knew that she needed to make an exit quickly. "I think that we should be getting back to the party. Don't you agree? Your other guests, and your wife, will be wondering where you are." She exited the room with him following behind her, and they re-joined the party. She spent the next few hours chatting with the other guests before she felt that she could make her exit. Thanking the Baron and his wife, she made arrangements to meet at the end of the week to take possession of the piece. Everything was going according to plan.

With a spring in her step, Sophie returned to her hotel room, ready to celebrate with a hot bath. As she approached the door, she was surprised to discover that it was unlocked. Opening it slightly, she peeked in and saw a tall figure standing in the darkness. She quietly opened the door further, allowing her enough room to slide into the room, and tiptoed quietly behind the man. Before she could react, he turned, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her close to him. Their lips met and she wrapped her arms around his neck briefly, before pushing him away, laughing playfully. "Michael! How did you know where to find me?" she asked the man.

"Your Aunt was kind enough to let me know where you'd be. I told you, Charlotte," he said her name with a wink, "I would follow you anywhere." He reached for her again and pulled her back into his arms.

She wasn't really her aunt, but Sophie knew very well that he knew that too. He also knew her real name wasn't Charlotte or Sophie, but he used her aliases with her playfully. Michael was the one person that knew who she really was, and what she did, and he loved her anyway.

They met in a park in London. She had just left a meeting with a mark, and he was there on his lunch break. He literally ran into her, although she found out later that he did it on purpose to meet her. She tried to blow him off, but he was persistent, and eventually he broke through her tough exterior and despite herself, Sophie found herself letting him in. Maybe she was lonely, maybe she was tired of the grift, or maybe she was just amazed how nothing she told him about her past or her current activities ever seemed to faze him. He accepted her for who she was, and that took her by surprise. Soon, she found herself in a real relationship with him. The first time he said that he loved her, she said it back, but she wasn't completely sure if she meant it. Was she with him for the comfort of it, or because she really did love him?

"What are you doing here?" She asked him as they sat down on the couch together. "You know that I can't really be seen with you."

"I don't intend to let you leave this hotel room, so no worries there." He grinned as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Besides, I missed you."

"Room service, then?" she suggested, as she removed her shoes.

"Room service, I think. Yes." He grabbed her and leaned back on the couch, taking her with him. "Maybe in a little while." He smiled at her, before kissing her passionately.

The next morning, Sophie awoke to find him already awake and dressed. He had ordered breakfast, and set it out on the table for them. She dressed herself quickly and joined him, gratefully taking the plate of toast that he offered her. They had never gotten around to ordering room service last night, and she was starving.

"How did you sleep, darling?" he asked her, as he poured her a cup of tea. "Well, I hope?"

"Yes, quite well, thank you" she smiled at him through bites of toast.

"Do you have plans for the day?" She knew he was asking her if Duchess Charlotte had plans, but she just responded simply with no. He was pleased. "Very good. I have some things that I would like to talk to you about after breakfast.

She looked at him curiously, and her mind raced to figure out what he could want to discuss. She finished breakfast, and he led her to the couch.

"Darling," he began almost as soon as they sat down. "I'm glad this….job of yours is going well, but I worry about you so much when you are off doing what you do. We've had such a wonderful time together this past year, and you know that I love you dearly."

She looked at him with surprise. Whatever she had expected, it wasn't this. She shifted in her seat, but remained quiet.

He continued. "You mean so much to me, and I hate the idea that something could happen to you. This past year has meant the world to me." He stood up nervously and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small box. "I am a fairly wealthy man and I have a good job. You could stop this if…." He paused and fell to one knee, opening the box to reveal a diamond ring. "Would you consider doing me the honor of becoming my bride?"

Sophie sat there looking from him to the diamond in stunned silence. Her mind was working quickly, but nothing was coming out of her mouth. Married? Michael wanted to marry her? This score was going to be big for her. Probably the biggest that she'd ever had. Could she give it up and become his wife? She cared for him. She really did, but he loved her. He really loved her and she wasn't sure if she felt that strongly about him. Was that fair? She looked at him there, on his knees, looking at her so hopefully. Could she be happy being his wife? Before she realized what she was saying, she grabbed his free hand, smiled and said, "Yes! Yes, I will marry you Michael." He slid the ring on her finger and they threw themselves into each other's arms. He lifted her face to his. "My darling, you've made me the happiest man in all of Denmark, the entirely of Europe!" he grinned as he kissed her.

She lost herself in the moment. His lips were so soft, yet hard against hers, and when he kissed her, it was easy to forget everything in her head. He stood himself up, pulling her up with him, and walked her backward toward the bed, never taking his lips off of hers. Gently, he lowered her to the bed.

This man, Michael. He accepted her for who she was. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, knowing who and what she was. Maybe it was time to stop the grift and settle down.

 **Six Years Forward**

While she lay in the bed remembering him, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and sat up, wiping away the tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath.

"Hello Auntie," she said as she answered the phone.

"My dear, don't try to hide it, I can always tell when you've been crying."

"No Auntie, it's just that you know how this day affects me."

"Oh I do know, but crying won't bring him back. We all make choices dear. You made the choice to call off the engagement and keep on grifting, and he made the choice to never get over you. Neither of you are responsible for the other's decisions. You need to let it go."

"I know you are right." She sighed.

"Now tell me," she continued. "How are you enjoying Boston? I don't understand why you had to go all the way to America. Surely you could find acting jobs here in London."

They chatted a little more before they said their goodbyes and she hung up the phone. Sophie sighed and stood up. Her thoughts wandered back to Michael again. Briefly, someone loved her. The real her. Not a persona that she put on for the grift, but actually her. She wasn't sure if that would ever happen again, but she smiled to herself as she thought of that one moment when they were going to be married, and a kiss that she would never forget.


	5. Nate - Kisses and Promises

**Sorry there was such a break between these chapters. I have had Parker's written for a while, but I needed Nate's to go first. I knew what it needed to be (after all, not all of these kisses have to be romantic) but figuring out how to do it was harder than I expected. Also, they never really explained what illness Sam died of, so I am winging it here.  
**

 **Thanks for reading!**

It was getting dark when Nathan Ford emerged from the airport and hailed a cab. He was exhausted, physically and mentally, he realized as he climbed into the backseat and gave the driver his address. He slumped down in the seat and closed his eyes for the 45 minute ride home. He had to admit that he was wary about what he would find there. He had been gone for only a week, but more and more his wife Maggie was resenting his long absences, and he felt like their marriage was falling apart. The sad thing was that if it wasn't for their son, he wasn't sure that he would mind. He loved Maggie and he knew that Maggie loved him. He knew that. He just wasn't sure that they were in love with each other anymore.

His mind wandered back to the early days of their relationship. Nate's job involved him tracking down stolen art for IYS, and Maggie was an art expert. They made a great team and through all the adventure and excitement of their jobs, they fell in love. Nate's boss, Ian Blackpool, used to call them Nick and Nora, only instead of solving murders, they found missing art and fraud, saving Blackpool's company countless millions. Nate proposed to Maggie one night while they were in Paris, and was surprised that she said yes. He never thought that a good woman would ever love him, and he couldn't believe his luck. They were married in a small ceremony and opted to spend their honeymoon in a small cabin in the Rocky Mountains, having already traveled together to so many exotic locations.

They continued their work until a year after their wedding, when Maggie announced that she was pregnant. Nate considered the fact that he was going to be a father with excitement and a little bit of concern. He didn't have the greatest father figure himself, his own father was a criminal and serving time in prison for the mob, but he was determined to be a good Dad. When Sam was born eight months later, Nate took one look at him and knew that this tiny little baby had, in one instant, wrapped him around his tiny little finger. Now, seven years later, Sam was still the center of his universe, but his traveling had taken its toll on Maggie. She opted to take jobs as a consultant so that she could be home for Sam, and Blackpool seemed to be sending Nate out more and more. They always fought when he'd come home from some grand adventure and it was becoming increasingly hard to deal with for both of them. Then there was Sophie.

Two years ago, while searching for a stolen painting, he came across the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Unfortunately, at the time, she was trying to steal the painting that he was looking for. He tried to chase her down, but she got away. Over the next two years, they repeated this game of cat and mouse until they finally came face to face. Nate never believed in love at first site, but this beautiful petite woman with an adorable British accent made him question that belief. She invited him for a drink, while they stood there awkwardly, and he'd declined, showing her his wedding ring. This woman was captivating, but he wasn't a complete jerk, and he respected his vows. She was disappointed, but took advantage of the moment to run, and Nate let her get away. He couldn't get her out of his head, as much as he tried to.

As the taxi pulled up to his house, he paid the driver and grabbed his bag. He approached the door and took a deep breath before walking in. The first thing he saw was his sweet little seven-year-old Sam sleeping on the couch. _He must have been trying to stay awake to see me,_ Nate thought to himself as he sat his bag down by the door. He walked in the kitchen, and found Maggie putting away clean dishes.

"I thought this was only going to be a short trip, Nate." She looked at him with sad eyes. "I expected you home three days ago."

"I thought so too, but it took longer than I expected. We found the statue, though. The owner paid someone to steal it for the insurance payout. Blackpool will be pleased."

"Your son missed you very much. I missed you too." She slumped into one of the kitchen chairs and put her head in her hands. He couldn't help but notice that she looked completely exhausted, like she hadn't slept in days.

"Well, I am home now, and hopefully will be for a while."

"Sure. Until Ian has another adventure for you to go on," she frowned. "You refuse to tell him that you need a break."

Nate sighed. "Maggie, we go through this every time. You knew this was my job before we were married. Hell, you HELPED me do my job before Sam came along. Blackpool and IYA count on me."

She looked up at him. "What about us? Shouldn't we be able to count on you too?" The tone of her voice broke his heart. It was the sound of someone whose world was falling apart. He knew that the way they'd been dealing with each other was wrong and hurtful, but he wasn't sure how to get past it.

Nate approached her and put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "I promise you. This will be the last trip for a while. I'll talk to Blackpool." He decided to change the subject. "How was my little man this week? You said on the phone that he was sick. He is better now?"

Maggie dissolved into tears. Her head slumped from her hands to the table and she began to shake. Concerned, Nate dropped to his knees next to her. "Maggie, what is it? I know things have been so messed up lately, but this is different. What happened?" He gently placed his hand on her chin, lifting her face to his. "Tell me."

She stared at him blankly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sam….." she stammered through quiet sobs. "He isn't okay, Nate. They ran some tests on Wednesday, and we found out today." She fell into another fit of sobs, unable to continue.

"Maggie!" Nate was frantic. "Please. What is wrong? Please Maggie. Please tell me." He was trying to be calm, but his heart was beating quickly and he was frantic for an answer, hoping this was an overreaction on Maggie's part.

Maggie managed to calm her sobs and look him directly in the eye. "Nate, he has Leukemia," she said flatly.

Nate's heart sank as Maggie resumed sobbing. "No, no. They must have gotten something wrong. He's such a healthy boy, and so little. He can't be sick. He just can't." Nate could feel his own tears welling up in his eyes, and he fought to push them back. To be brave for Maggie.

All she could do is cry and shake her head. "It's not a mistake, Nate. They are going to start treatment next week, but the doctor said that his prognoses is not good." She glanced up at him again. "They don't think our baby is going to live."

It was more than Nate could bare. He wrapped his arms around her and he just lost it. They both sat in their kitchen holding on to each other and falling apart for what seemed like hours. He whispered promises to her between sobs. IYA owed him….BOTH of the THEM….If there was any possible treatment, no matter how costly, he would find it and IYA would cover it. They would fight like hell, and save their little boy.

They pulled apart quickly and both of them wiped their eyes when they heard little feet moving across the floor in the living room. It was just seconds before Sam burst through the kitchen door and jumped into Nate's lap, yelling, "DADDY!" Nate wrapped his arms around his precious boy's little body and squeezed him like he hadn't seen him in ages.

"Hey little man!" he said, hoping he sounded cheery.

"I missed you so much, Daddy." Sam frowned as he buried himself in Nate's arms. "Please tell me that you aren't going to have to travel for a long time." He reached up and began planting little kisses across Nate's forehead and cheeks. "Please Daddy?"

Nate kissed his little boy back on the top of his head, and squeezed him tighter, fighting to keep himself together. "I promise you, little man. I am not going anywhere." In that moment, everything else in the world went out of Nate's head. The estrangement that he and Maggie were dealing with, his job, his Dad in jail, and his thoughts of Sophie. Nothing else in the entire world mattered more than this little boy in his arms who was happily kissing his face. They'd get him better. Nate always managed to find a way to get things done, and this would be no different.


	6. Parker - A Surprise Kiss

**Thank you to everyone who has read my very first story that I've shared outside of my family. I've got a decent idea for a continuation of Eliot's kiss, so I think I'll give that a try next.**

 **Since Nate and Sophie both had sad kisses to remember, I like to imagine that their first kiss, while never replacing these memories, would provide a little bit of a better kiss memory for them. However, since that happened after my story takes place, I didn't have to write it.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Two Years Later**

They were sitting together on a park bench, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. She was looking at him with a confused look on her face, as if she didn't understand what he was saying. "So, are we going to be on top of a building?" she asked him.

"No!" Hardison responded.

"Well, are we going to be zip lining down to it?"

"No!" he repeated a little more firmly.

"How about if we BASE jump from a nearby building? Ohhhh! Maybe we could swing from tree to tree like monkeys, or jump from a plane?" She was getting excited now.

"No, no and NO! Woman, we are going to walk. On the ground. Our feet will remain firmly planted on terra firma. We are going to take our basket and walk through the park like normal people. We will spread out a blanket on the grass and enjoy our lunch. It's a PICNIC Parker. Not a job.

She wrinkled her nose at him. It sounded kind of dull if you asked her, but Alec had been willing to go on all of her adventures over the past few weeks, so she figured that she owed him one. This boyfriend thing was really new, and he was being very patient with her. He hadn't even tried to kiss her, save for a few kisses on the forehead or the cheek.

She tried one more time, hopefully. "What if we….."

"Not everything has to be an adrenalyn rush. This is my date, and I get to decide what we do. Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful, and we are going to have a nice and relaxing time doing something that doesn't involve rope or me almost dying!" He cut her off.

The next morning Parker woke up and looked outside. Hardison was so wrong. The sky was dark and rain was falling from the sky. It didn't look like there was an end in sight. Even if the sun did come out, she knew the ground would be much too wet to set a blanket on. She called him to see what his plan was now.

He responded confidently. "You just be at my place by 12:00pm, and leave the rest to me. I got this."

She spent the morning drawing up plans to rob the loca Albina Community Bank. Since they relocated to Portland, she had all new places to investigate. Sure, she wouldn't actually rob the place because they were the god guys now, but that was no reason to let her skills get rusty. They had a surprisingly simple set up for a modern bank, and she figured it wouldn't take her longer than 20 minutes max to do it. For a moment, she considered giving it a dry run, just for fun, but remembered that she promised Hardison that she wouldn't be late.

She showered and dressed herself, then proceded to do her hair and make up. She noticed that lately, these things had become a bit more important to her. Not that she was turning into Sophie or anything. Try as she might, she just couldn't muster up Sophie's excitement over shoes. She did make sure that she looked nice though, especially when she was going to see Hardison. She'd never really had an actual boyfriend before, and Sophie had told her that it was normal to feel that way. She didn't think that there was anything normal about it really. She wasn't sure that she liked the feelings that she had if he had to interact with other women, but she did kind of enjoy the flippy floppy butterfly feeling that she got in her stomach when she saw him, or he held her hand. Just thinking about it made her smile.

She grabbed her umbrella and headed out to his place. It wasn't very far, and normally she would have walked, but with the rain she hailed a taxi, which got her there right on time. She paid the driver and got out, taking a moment to examine his building. It would be a lot of fun to climb up the fire escape, or come down from the roof to enter through one of his windows, but she knew that he preferred her to come through the front door, so she walked in and called him to buzz her up.

When she got to his door, he was waiting for her. He took her coat and umbrella, but she wasn't sure if he was trying to be chivalrous, or just trying to keep the rain off of his floor. He took her by the hand and led her inside. He had pushed the furniture in his living room up against the walls, and had laid out a red and white checked blanket in the middle of the floor. Next to the blanket was a picnic basket, and next to that was a single red rose in a small white vase. "Ta Da!" he shouted as he gestured to what he had done.

"Wow. This is great. I'm so glad the weather turned out to be so nice," she teased him.

"I am a man of many talents, sweetheart, but controlling the weather isn't one of them." He grinned at her as he motioned for her to have a seat. "Plan B it is."

They sat on the blanket, and he began taking food out of the basket. He had real plates laid out for them to use, and he had all her favorite foods. Her stomach did that little butterfly thing and it made her giggle out loud.

"What is so funny?"

"Oh nothing. I just wondered how you knew what I liked to eat. This sandwich is exactly the way I would have gotten it."

"We've been together….well…working together for years now. You don't think I've paid attention to stuff like that?"

"I'm surprised you paid attention to me at all." She looked down at her sandwich. Sometimes she wasn't quite sure what he saw in her.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Alec responded in disbelief. "I've been paying attention to you since the first night we met on that rooftop in Boston."

He sat his food down and took her hands into his. He caught her eyes, and held their gaze. The butterflies in her stomach were working overtime with their flipping and flopping. "Parker, I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You are beautiful, smart, funny, and fearless. Sure, you are a little crazy. Okay, a lot crazy, but I like crazy, and I like you."

He bent down to kiss her on the forehead, and she moved up quickly to capture his lips instead. He jerked back a little bit, startled, but she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her tightly. She felt him relax as their tongues swirled around each other and he brought his hand up to her cheek, before tangling it in her hair.

After a few minutes, they pulled back from each other.

"That was nice," he stammered as he rested his forehead on hers.

"What? It's not like we've never kissed before on a job!"

"Well, yeah, but we aren't on a job right now, are we?"

She smiled at him. "No, I guess we aren't, and I really liked it too." She laughed and added, "At least now I know what Sophie meant with all that kissing talk a few years ago."

He looked at her confused briefly, before she pounced on him, pressing her lips against his again, and pushing him down on the blanket.


End file.
